Describes a problem-solving teaching method used in the Introductory Soils course at Iowa State University whereby students are assigned to groups and asked to serve as an advisor to a landowner. Using a computerized database for most data acquisition, students recommend farm usage and urban/alternate development plans. Includes the program…

Educational reform now focuses largely on school restructuring, making transformational leadership and cultural change models critical issues for school administrators. Both concepts are inextricably linked to communication. Consequently, leadership for change requires a knowledge base in leadership, organizational theory, and communication…

The events and decisions following a declaration of financial exigency at Saint Bonaventure University (New York) in 1994, which resulted in a substantial reduction in the number of tenured faculty members and a decrease in pay and benefits for remaining employees, are chronicled. The roles of the business officer, faculty, and others in decision…

Comments on this special theme issue examining the roles of socialization, biology, and culture as they affect adaptive and maladaptive developmental outcomes. Presents models for predicting and understanding behavioral and affective change at transitions occurring especially from middle childhood through adolescence. Provides examples…

A panel study of early childhood special educators in rural Florida identified problems in serving the needs of disabled children ages three to five related to rural ecology, family conditions, staff training, and educational programs and funding. Includes suggested modifications to current service programs that would improve service delivery to…

Introduces a concise overview of societal changes and their implications for moral education. Asserts that moral education research will shift from a search for immutable truth to workable solutions. Boundaries between researcher and subject will become blurred as research is used to serve rather than observe the client. (MJP)

Examines the economic troubles and social turmoil experienced by Latin American cities in the last 10 years. Identifies a global economy, moving from the production of raw materials to information-related jobs and services, as the main culprit. Discusses the growing importance of city councils in municipal governance. (MJP)

Identifies major problems and concerns to be addressed at the upcoming Habitat II conference in Istanbul, Turkey. Details a number of recent significant developments, all of them related to emerging patterns of economic productivity, demographic concentration, and environmental pollution. Proposes a dual-definition of "habitat" as both…

Used a variety of family factors to predict development of children who averaged 30 hours of nonparental care per week for each month of their lives and of those who experienced no more than 10 hours of nonparental care per week. Multivariate analyses provided no evidence that family factors predicted outcomes differently for these two groups.…

New Mexico ranks high in youth violence, substance abuse, poverty, teen pregnancies, and school dropout rates. In response, Western New Mexico University developed a special master's program in bilingual special education, attended primarily by minority-group school personnel, and implemented a program to address the cycle of poverty by training…

This longitudinal study examined socioemotional antecedents of adolescent school adjustment. Findings indicated that early and later parental problem-solving support accounted for 13 percent of variance in high school adjustment. Early and later parental problem-solving support, peer competence, externalizing behavior, and emotional…

New computer software for physics, mathematics, computer science, and statistics courses at North Carolina State University and in some high schools allows students to solve problems on the computer, recording every answer submitted to provide faculty with a record of student performance, and providing immediate feedback to students. Computerized…

Background: Increasing numbers of children are referred to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services because of disruptive behaviour. Recent reviews on the origins of conduct problems indicate that the most severe and persistent forms are found predominantly among males with a range of neurodevelopmental vulnerabilities, which are likely to have…

The study of video game effects has been marked by two very different approaches. The first approach is represented by social scientists, who, with some exceptions, seek to understand the effects of games on users. The second approach is favored by humanists, who seek to understand the meaning and context of games. To date, these two groups have…

Although there has been much debate about "what" teachers need to know about technology, less attention has been paid to "how" they are supposed to learn it. Teacher preparation programs need to go beyond merely training teachers in how to use specific software and hardware tools, and instead focus on developing an…